Yosemite (3 reviews)
The Boreal Ski Resort was the answer for us, right off I-80.
Perfect for a little snow vacation. Overnight stay was
reasonable. Breakfast was provided in the small lobby and you
can take it to your room. Bring your own dinner or lunch. Your
room has a fridge and a microwave. Consider it indoor camping.
(The nearby resort cafeteria has mostly overpriced junk food
with the noisy atmosphere of grand central station). We had a
lot of fun there and we came prepared. We were looking for
something close by without all these curvy mountain roads,
something that is practical and affordable and has snow play
for kids. All criteria were met. The drive was 3 hours.
Would go there again
Hello,
Have you considered the area around Dodge Ridge? Leland High
Sierra Snow Play Area is a great place for kids from 1-99 who
don't ski but want to have fun in the snow. It has a lodge area
where you can warm up with some hot chocolate and some snacks
and they have EMT's on staff. You rent an innertube (very
reasonable) or bring your own plastic saucer (no metal or wood
allowed) and slide down a groomed hillside. Twain Harte is
nearby and so is Pinecrest for lodging or you could go to Sonora.
See the link below for more information. It's a great place I
highly recomend and it's much better than just stopping by the
side of the road to slide down a snowy hill.
http://www.snowplay.com/
Laura
Last year we went to Grass Valley and just drove up into the
mountains until we got to the snow. Then we drove off down a
plowed forest service road for half a mile, parked and played for
a couple of hours. We weren't terribly well prepared (we had warm
clothes, but no toys). Someone lent us a saucer sled for a little
while, and we also found a plastic folder in the car that was
pretty good for sliding on. It was a lot of fun, and fulfilled my
child's desire for snow without leading to any of the negatives
of snow like lots of money and tire chains.
Mom of a kid who wanted to touch snow
Sept 2005
We're thinking ahead to winter and would like a place to go for
a weekend (or up to a week) where we can play in the snow with
our two small kids and our dog.
Any recommendations on a kid and dog-friendly hotel/inn/cabin?
We're open to Tahoe (went there as a kid a lot, but it's sooo
different now) as well as any other place. Ideally, we don't
want to drive more than 3-4 hours and we're on a limited budget.
I checked the website, but only saw one listing for a place that
would take dogs...
Thanks in advance
every winter we go to Homewood lake tahoe with our two big dogs
and baby boy to this place where the people are wonderful and
there is a big state park where you can let the dogs run or do
some snowshoes it is so wonderful
the name is Tahoma Meadows and i believe they have a website to
look at the cabin .
good luck
pascale
Check out Sorensens Resort in South Lake Tahoe. It is great. Little wooden cabins in
the snow. Lots of sleds on site to borrow. A wood fired communal sauna and dogs are
welcome in some of their cabins. I highly recommend.
Julie
Hi , last winter we took kids and dog to a nice house near south lake Tahoe. The house
is clearly designed for kids and the back yard is very large and open out to a creek.
There is a crate for the dog and even complimetary dog biscuits. we found the place
through Tahoe Keys Resort . their number is (800) My Tahoe, and web site is
www.caltahoe.com. Good luck.
d
Sept 2004
I am interested in recommendations for family lodging in snow
country. Ideally, we would love something close to a ski
resort so that we can trade off child care
responsibilities/skiing. We also want to be close to
sledding. Has anyone ever rented one of the cabins near Soda
Springs? Anyone have any ideas near Bear Valley? We don't
care what part of the Sierra we go to as long as we find a good
place to stay that accommodates skiing, sledding and isn't
outrageously expensive.
Andrea
A great fun family place in the snow is at my family's
lovely new cabin in Tahoe Meadows at South Lake Tahoe, located
in an environmental preserve on the Lake directed below the
Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. We are happy to share this
wonderful spot with other responsible families. The gondola to
the top of the mountain is a 5 minute walk across the street.
There is also a free shuttle on the road behind my cabin to
Heavenly.
My kids enjoy the sledding on the free sledding hill at the top
of Ski Run Blvd. which is a 5 minute car ride or on the shuttle
route. Casinos, shops, restaurants are all in walking distance;
yet the cabin is in a gated natural area with woods and a one
mile private beach.
You can check out the cabin details at
http://www.fretlessconsulting.com/StarkweatherCabin/
Please call me (510) 236-5988 or email with questions or for
more information.
Kay Starkweather kstarkwe AT library.berkeley.edu
We have a cabin near Bear Valley. If you email me what you are
looking for, I can send you our info and rates.
amelliott21 AT earthlink.net
Anne Marie
We've rented twice now with Soda Springs Rentals
(once in the snow and once in the summer) and we plan to do so
again this winter. The houses around Serene Lakes that are
available for renting thru this company have been spacious and
well stocked for cooking and lots of kids. They are definitely
reminiscent of the ''70's era''. We found sledding behind Ice
Lakes Lodge (and behind our own cabin!), but we weren't ready to
take our kids out on skis (downhill or cross-country). But there
was plenty of it nearby which it sounds like you would want.
You can check out the lodging options and prices available thru
Soda Springs at their website www.sodaspringsrentals.com. Good
luck!
Luisa
Soda springs is a great place to rent a house, great sledding
hill nearby, Royal Gorge Cross Country, Sugar Bowl for
downhill, Soda Springs for tubing and beginner downhill. Try
castlepeaks vacation rentals.
me
Jan 2004
I am interested in recommendation for places to go for a quick
snow trip from the east bay. I have consulted the web site and
nothing quite matches what I'm looking for.
What I'm looking for is very simple snow play - a small hill for
sledding and enough room to make a snow man, throw snowballs,
make snow angels, etc., for young children (2 1/2 - 4 years old).
I would like the least driving possible from the Berkeley/Albany
area. Lodging can be motels, cabins, house rentals, or other
options, preferably cheap. I would prefer to avoid crowded areas
like snow parks. A modest hill near the lodging would be perfect.
sally
I wrote a while ago asking for places to go for informal snow
play with a minimum of driving from the East Bay. I have my own
experiences to share, as well as a couple personal responses to
my earlier post that I'd like to include for other people's
reference.
We went on a quick trip in February to the Cisco Grove stop on I-
80, which is shortly before Donner Pass. We stayed overnight in
Auburn and drove the rest of the way in the morning, but it can
also be done in a 1-day round trip. There is a restaurant, gas
station, and informal snow play area, with plenty of room for
sledding, tubing, making snowmen, etc. On the day we went, the
snow was pretty dry because it hadn't snowed recently, but it
was still a good introduction to the snow.
We just returned from a great 3-day snow weekend in Truckee. We
rented a vacation home from Donner Lake Realty (www.donner-
lake.com, (800) 392-5253). The house we rented was #58 on their
site, on Cottonwood Street, near Maple, with a great informal
snow play area at the end of the block. They have several rental
houses in that area. The weather and snow conditions were great.
There are several ski resorts nearby. It took just over 2 1/2
hours to get there, at off-peak traffic hours.
The personal e-mails I received with other snow trip
recommendations are included below:
STRAWBERRY:
I saw your post on UCB looking for snow play areas. In 2 weeks
we're going to the Strawberry Cabins which is south of Lake
Tahoe/ north of Yosemite. It is near a snow play area (uh oh,
probably crowded), but the cabins sound really lovely. It is,
apparently, one of the closest snow guaranteed areas to the bay
area.
Here is their web site
http://strawberrycabins.com/
DONNER PASS:
Sally, we just did a really fun, super-cheap snow trip with our
3 year old and 2 year old. We just drove up I-80 to the rest
area at the top of Donner pass! It has a bunch of really gentle
hills that are great for sledding. We didn't even have sleds,
we just used garbage bags. We went sledding, threw snowballs,
made a snowman, made snow angels, then got back in the car,
drank our thermos of hot chocolate and ate our picnic lunch, and
drove back home. Totally cheap, and a good time was had by all!
Incidentally, we had stopped off at one of the commercial
sledding/tubing places, and found it to be crowded and
expensive, so we ended up just pressing on and found the rest
area instead.
Sally
Tubing Day Trip
March 2001
Folks,
I remember seeing from time to time on TV shots of a ski place, I think off
of 80 somewhere, that is pretty darned lowkey and not too expensive. I
recall seeing a ropetow like device hauling kids in saucers up to the top
of a hill. We'd like to take our 10 and 7 year old to the snow, but we can't
afford much, so the idea would be to head out at like 6:00 AM, spend a few
hours going up and down this hill, and then driving back. Does anyone know
the place I'm describing, or have ideas of how we might accomplish this very
basic "snow experience?"
Thanks.
Bond
Soda Springs has a very fun tubing set up where a rope
tow pulls giant inner tubes up the mountain. The kids
go down one of 4 set tracks, with curves, bumps, etc.
They also have a rope tow to take a saucer up to the
top but the inner tubes are the best! about
$10/person for 2 hours. And the adults enjoy it
almost as much as the kids. If you have skis the kids
can ski and tube for around $1215 each all day. It's
less than 3 hours from bay area take Norden exit and
it's less than a mile from 80. Christine
The place you're thinking of may be at Kingvale, just this side of Donner
Summit off Highway 80. They have a rope tow and rent huge inner tubes
(more fun than saucers, according to the experts in my family) that the kids
ride down the hill. It's about 2 1/2 hours (weather permitting) from the East
Bay, 50 miles or so past Auburn. Can't remember the cost, but it's definitely
cheaper than skiing; you can rent by the hour or half day. I recommend bringing
a folding chair, something to read, and a thermos of coffee if you're planning on
watching for any length of time. There's also a little stand that sells hot
chocolate for the kids. Nina
Soda Springs ski resort (Soda Springs exit off I80) is small, inexpensive,
and very familyoriented. It also offers tubing: a kind of ropetow pulls
you up on a giant inner tube and then you ride it down. There is a combined
ski/tubing lift ticket: $20 for adult, $16 ages 817. I think there is a
cheaper tubingonly ticket. Peggy
I have been looking for the same and found Leland Meadows, here is the
website: http://www.snowplay.com/contact.htm
Have not yet visited. Sally
We recently went to Sonora, which is only 120 miles away (going 580
east and then connecting to 120 to 108). Anyway, just 20 minutes east
of Sonora we found some great sledding areas free. There's one place
that they call "Little Sweden" (no sign or anything, I think it's the
local name) but it was a great hill and a lot of people were sledding
and tubing down it. Further north in Strawberry, we found another commonly
used informal site....again, a lot of tubing and sledding. We did go check
out "Leland Meadows", where you pay for access to the hill, but they
didn't even have rope towing and their hill didn't particularly impress
us, was very crowded, etc. so we just headed back to the informal sites.
Had a lot of fun, and is very accessible for a day trip. And you avoid
all the traffic on I80. Suzanne
Weekend Visit to the Snow
I would like to know where are the best (not
necessarily the most popular) places, not farther than
4h driving, to spend a weekend playing in the snow and
enjoying outside activities with 2 preschoolers.
Simona (Dec 1999)
In response to the families who would like to visit the snow, I would
highly recommend Soresen's
Resort:
(916) 694-2203 or (800) 423-9949. They are located in Hope Valley, only 1/2
hour from South Lake
Tahoe. Sorensen's is a cluster of cabins, most all of which have cooking
facilities. Prices range
from $80-200. The last time we stayed there, we rented a cabin with a
bedroom, living room (with a
futon for extra sleeping), eating area and kitchen for about $110. There's
also a very good restaurant,
where you can get breakfast, lunch or dinner. No TV or phones in the rooms,
but there is a phone
available in the main cabin.
Hope Valley is isolated and quiet. In fact, there's really nothing there
except Sorensen's. You can
rent ski equipment at a place just down the road and get ski lessons. There
are many cross-country
trails in the area, including a large meadow area just across the road and
a long, easy trail about
2 minutes away that also has a bunny hill for sledding.
If you want to ski on groomed trails (and pay a trail fee), Kirkwood is
just about 15 minutes away. Also,
Markleville is nearby--a small town where you can buy groceries--and Grover
HotSprings is just 5
minutes outside Markleville.
The hotsprings are like a giant hottub: great for soaking after skiing.
I also think you can get dogsled rides (we haven't done that, but I've seen
the dogs out on the meadow)
and sleigh rides. My husband and I go up every winter for the skiing and
the peace & quiet. We haven't
yet gone with kids (ours is just 1 month old), but I've seen little kids
sledding and skiing there. I
think it would be ideal: we plan to go with baby as soon as she's old enough.
Alison
Sledding
Lake Tahoe, actually right around the lake, is *great* for sled-riding --
there is a public park with a nice big hill, with a long flat spot at the
bottom so you don't end up in the lake. Call the realty offices in Tahoe
and someone will find you a rental condo. Take another family along to
split the cost and let the overflow of kids have a sleepover in the living room.
Some of the Tahoe ski resorts have great cross-country skiing -- I've been
to Squaw. I saw a lot of babies in backpacks on the trail.
Andrea (1996)
Economical Snow Getaways
1997
During the holidays (and after), I would like to take my 2 children ages 6
and 10 to the snow for sledding, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, or
even snow boarding. And making snowpeople, of course. They will need
lessons for the skiiing/snowboarding as they have no experience (and I have
very little).
Can anyone recommend places to go? Ideally, the more economical the better.
Last winter we went to Bear Valley and rented a hotel room in February for
2 nights. Had a good time but would like to see if we can avoid the room
costs and concentrate on a full day of lessons, snow fun.
Should we rent skis here and take them up? We have a 4-wheel drive. Will
we still need chains? (You can tell I'm inexperienced when it comes to
snow.)
Kathleen K.
Just a reply to Kathleen K. on the snow trip. I would advise
renting wherever you go for 2 reasons...1.) in case the equipment
breaks or you want to switch lengths or go from skis to boards
(important for a 10 year old!), you can exchange it immediately at the
ski area instead of being stuck with it; and reason #2.) is because
wet, long, sharp (those edges are sharp) skis in the back of your 4
wheel will still take up alot of room and possibly cut your
upholstery, suitcases, etc.
Second note is that even with a 4 wheel drive, go slower than you
think you should on wet pavement. If you break all four wheels loose
at the same time (i.e. on black ice or super slushy snow), you will
spin just like any other car. Chains work great but can be very
tiring for long distances.
Beyond that, have fun. Personal favorite places to ski (as a kid and
with kids) are Sugarbowl and Homewood and Mt Shasta Ski Park. Family
places; big wide bowls to goof around in, great views and friendly
other folks!
Kathleen H.
From: Aleta
Re: Ski suits/equipment
Check all the thrift shops. I bought the entire gear for myself under
$10.00. I always rent the skis so I don't know about skis but have
found disc & sleds. I didn't care for NorthStar but loved Boreal near
Truckee, great place for young kids (4, 6, 10, 12, 14 yr). I've only
gone twice first time 2/95 and on 12/14/97.
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